You both deeply misunderstand me. If I meant "fantasy," I would have said "fantasy." I specifically mean the classic fairy tale trope of the ordinary person who discovers a fantastic world in which, it turns out, they are great and important and typically nobility. Neither of your comparisons have any of that: LOTR is just straight fantasy in a fantasy world, and Asgard and the other realms in Thor are treated as straight out other worlds, not wish fulfillment dimensions for Earthlings.

I specifically mean the classic fairy tale trope of the ordinary person who discovers a fantastic world in which, it turns out, they are great and important and typically nobility.

When brought or seen under a realistic light there is a very human way to do that story. With where things are going getting a chance to hop onto this is becoming closer and closer. I was adopted from another country and brought to the US, my 'people' are practically alien lifeforms to me.

One thing I want to explore is the realistic feelings of what comes from returning home when it has become foreign to them. People go through this all the time the only thing fantastical here is that AC's birth family is nobility. Yet you still have orphans who seek out their birth parents only to find out they've become upper class. If you see it as a human story first and foremost, what you described isn't a 'fairy tale.' For biologicals, yes. For orphans/adoptees? No. There are countless number of ways it can turn out.

If you ground this from a certain reality. And have it be from a really personal space, then it works. Aquaman is one hero who can easily fit in alongside Nolan's Batman and Superman if you have the right team and mind-set behind it. You can go after the pure adventure hero, but frankly - I think what sells it is its relatable human drama that unfolds, in some form, for every orphan and adoptee out there.

My goals with writing it also includes forcing myself to encounter my own personal fears from the past and to return to the one place I vowed I would never go - back home. And that's where I'll focus on it and write it. All across the world in an alien landscape of my own dormant history, while similarly chasing after my identity. Because frankly, I want a story like this to come off for the real human story it is.

__________________"If we are all united, we can take back our lives. While they stand divided, we can fight them and their laws. If we get up off our knees, we can show them that we are people. We can take back this "free" country! - Anti-Flag

Most of it should be underwater. Not saying swimming. But, in my head I'm picturing a much grander type of world underwater. Think Gungan city but times a thousand and with a different sensibility. How would something like that sound?

Back when Marvel hit it big with X-Men and Spiderman and they were selling off licences left and right, they kept mentioning a Namor movie describing it as "Star Wars but underwater." I've been obsessed with the ideas ever since and would rather see it come from Aquaman. The Arthurian inspiration would fit nicely, and I think Namor would be a cooler villain turned ally in a FF or Avengers movie.

Back when Marvel hit it big with X-Men and Spiderman and they were selling off licences left and right, they kept mentioning a Namor movie describing it as "Star Wars but underwater." I've been obsessed with the ideas ever since and would rather see it come from Aquaman. The Arthurian inspiration would fit nicely, and I think Namor would be a cooler villain turned ally in a FF or Avengers movie.

1. It's up to the writer to turn that around. If the trailer appears bad ass, then people will flock to it. This is why I'm making sure to include many trailer moments as well. My overall view which has yet to fail is that if you offer the audience something completely new yet familiar, over time they'll flock to it.

2. Aquaman has a more legendary and biblical story than any of the heroes combined except Superman. As said, you just need the personal touch to elevate it. Add to it action sequences that have never been seen before. And a world never before seen.

That said, where to go past the first movie of him finding his roots - no idea.

__________________"If we are all united, we can take back our lives. While they stand divided, we can fight them and their laws. If we get up off our knees, we can show them that we are people. We can take back this "free" country! - Anti-Flag

He'd really be the perfect choice, imo, and he also seems to have an edge to him which is great.

__________________"If we are all united, we can take back our lives. While they stand divided, we can fight them and their laws. If we get up off our knees, we can show them that we are people. We can take back this "free" country! - Anti-Flag

I could see them using the New 52 concept of Aquaman being sort of the hard working Blue collar hero they have made him in the comics. He protects all the oceans, while the surface has lots of heroes to protect it.
But I don't want to see too much of jokes about how Aquaman can talk to fish, and people asking him if his wife is a mermaid and calling her Aquawoman, and asking him how it feels to be the least liked superhero. The whole get no respect thing gets old, in the movie it would anyway.